Pages

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Crash, by Jerry Spinelli

John “Crash” Coogan is a seventh-grade football star, and I’ll
go out on a limb and call him kind of a bully as well. Crash enjoys the fast-paced, macho world of
sports, and he lives every other part of his life with the same intense
passion. His head-long behavior
continues when he meets a new neighbor, Penn Webb, who’s basically the exact
opposite. Penn is a quiet, thoughtful
boy whose Quaker family doesn’t condone violence, eat meat, or seek out
material things. When Crash strikes up a
reluctant friendship with Penn, he’s forced to re-think many of his own
behaviors.

I loves the way that this book unfolded over the course of
the entire school year, so it gives the reader a chance to get to know Crash
while organizes his life priorities. The
year holds a lot of surprises for Crash, including changes in his parents’
employment, his little sister’s growing social activism, and new friends at
school. The most serious concern is his grandfather
Scooter’s sudden illness, which serves to remind Crash that having a healthy family
and supportive friends is much more important than having nice clothes, toys,
or even being popular. At the end of the
book, I really appreciated the way that Mr. Spinelli intentionally left the
conclusion kind of open and unresolved, almost as if he realized that Crash wasn’t
a perfect person but he still wanted to give him more time to improve. It was a very cool and thought-provoking way
to close out a fun book!

This book would hold a lot of appeal with any upper-middle-grade
readers, especially young men who consider themselves to be sports fans. The hilarious circumstances and quick pacing
make “Crash” a fast read, even though it’s not necessarily a short book. Pass a copy along to the jock in your life and
I guarantee, this is one book that they won’t be embarrassed to be seen reading
in public!